Alcoholism is more than the inability to put down a drink; alcoholism is a real, defined and diagnosable medical condition that affects thousands of people all over the world, regardless of their race or income level. While most people think that it would be easy to spot an alcoholic, the majority of addicts become extremely good at hiding their habits from both themselves and everyone around them – and some people remain successful covert-alcoholics for decades without anyone in their life suspecting a thing.
The condition isn’t always obvious to spot, but the condition is almost always highly damaging. Alcoholism is a condition that often leads to sadness, destruction and loss, especially in the long-term. Would you be able to spot the signs?
Here are 15 threatening signs of alcoholism that you should look out for if you suspect someone you know or if you are struggling with the problem yourself.
1. Drinking Alone
A great percentage of alcoholics can be classed as what we call “social alcoholics.” These types of alcoholics prefer to have drinks with their friends, and will often go out to drink in a group – they are drinking because of the fact that they are chasing the social feeling of drinking in a group. And, in groups, it’s much easier for a concerning friend to look over and say, “Dude, I think you’re drinking too much. You should slow down.”
But this kind of moral compass doesn’t exist when you’re drinking alone, and you should always take note when there is a sudden change in someone’s drinking routine from drinking in a group to suddenly preferring to drink by themselves. This is almost always a bad sign, and a sign that the alcoholic doesn’t want someone there to tell them they’ve had enough to drink.
General isolation, usually for short periods of time, is common with full-blown alcoholics.
